Civic body’s mobile toilets to debut in pandals

You will be able to celebrate your puja in a more sanitised environment this year, courtesy the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and its citizen-friendly initiatives.

The Trinamool Congress-controlled civic body is planning a unique enterprise by placing ‘mobile toilet’ units for the first time at 100 major pandals.

“We are planning to place mobile toilets and temporary urinals at major Durga Puja pandals for public use completely free only to ensure a clean environment,” Swapan Samaddar, member, mayor in-council (MMiC) (slum development) told HT.

According to officials attached to the project, apart from 100 spots that would have ‘mobile toilets’ with both latrines and urinals, another 150 temporary toilets would be set up at major puja pandals with only urinals both for gents and ladies.

“We have already written to all the 15 borough committee chairmen to put up a list of major pandals that would have these citizens friendly toilets,” the MMiC added.

According to records, around 3,500 Durga Pujas are organised in Kolkata. But KMC bosses are targeting only major pujas, which get the highest footfalls.

“Each unit of mobile toilets would cost the civic exchequer between R1.25 and R4 lakh,” a senior technocrat told HT.

Setting up each unit of a temporary toilet would cost the KMC around R25,000. “It’s a great venture. I would thank the civic authorities for planning it during the pujas.

I had always been difficult, especially for the ladies to find out a nearby toilet during pandal hopping all night,” Sreemoyee Majumder, a second-year commerce student at Goenka College said.